Raspberry plant named ‘Driscoll Francesca’

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of raspberry plant named Driscoll Francesca. The new cultivar is distinguished from other raspberry cultivars by its fruit firmness, fruit structure, yield and flavor. The new cultivar is distinguished from its seed parent by having better flavor, it is distinguished from its pollen parent by producing fruit of consistent shape and good firmness.

Latin name of the genus and species of the plant claimed: The variety is botanically identified as Rubus idaeus L.

1. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The new cultivar of raspberry plant was developed from the hybridization of the selection ‘Tola’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,087) as the seed parent with the selection ‘Isabel’ (an unpatented variety) as the pollen parent. The parents were crossed in 1996; whereafter fruit and seed were collected to produce seedlings for field planting in Oxnard, Calif. in 1997. The new cultivar was selected from these seedlings in 1997 for its excellent fruit size and flavor. The new cultivar has been asexually propagated by in vitro shoot tip culture, root sucker division and root cuttings at the Cassin Ranch in Santa Cruz county, Calif. and has been shown to maintain the desired and distinguishing characteristics after propagation over several generations.

2. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a new and distinct cultivar of red raspberry plant named ‘Driscoll Francesca’. The cultivar is botanically identified as Rubus idaeus L. The ‘Driscoll Francesca’ red raspberry plant produces a primocane crop which begins in mid-July and continues until mid October. The floricane crop begins in mid-May and continues until late July. Both the primocane and floricane yields are high relative to other comparable varieties. The fruit of ‘Driscoll Francesca’ is notably quite firm and very consistent with regard to its size and shape throughout its harvest period and has good flavor. The fruit of ‘Driscoll Francesca’ separates easily from its receptacle.

3. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying photographs show typical specimens of the primocane fruit, leaves and shoot of the new cultivar, in color as nearly true as it is reasonably possible to make in color illustrations of these characteristics.

FIG. 1 is a photograph of ‘Driscoll Francesca’ primocane fruiting lateral showing ripe and unripe fruit.

FIG. 2 is a photograph of ‘Driscoll Francesca’ primocane leaves showing upper and lower leaf surfaces.

FIG. 3 is a photograph of ‘Driscoll Francesca’ primocane shoot.

4. DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description of the new raspberry cultivar, ‘Driscoll Francesca’, is based upon observations taken of 7 to 17 month old plants and fruit grown in Watsonville, Calif. between 2001 and 2002, and is believed to apply to plants of the ‘Driscoll Francesca’ cultivar grown in similar conditions of soil and climate elsewhere.

Throughout this specification, color names beginning with a small letter signify that the name of the color, as used in common speech, is aptly descriptive. Color data followed by an alphanumeric code designates the color according to The R.H.S. Colour Chart published by The Royal Horticultural Society of London, England. Color designations, color descriptions, and other phenotypical descriptions may deviate from the stated values and descriptions depending upon variation in environmental, seasonal, climatic and cultural conditions.

Table 1 provides information on the plant and fruit characteristics of the new cultivar ‘Driscoll Francesca’ compared with characteristics of the unpatented raspberry cultivar ‘Heritage’. Observations of the cultivars were taken under similar conditions.

The new variety is particularly characterized and distinguished from other cultivars by its fruit firmness, fruit structure, yield, and flavor.

The fruit color of ‘Driscoll Francesca’ is a medium red at harvest but darkens after harvest to a deeper color. Fruit of ‘Driscoll Francesca’ separates easily from the receptacle and is of good firmness at harvest. The fruit of ‘Driscoll Francesca’ is very consistent in size and shape throughout the harvest period. The average plant height is about 180 cm and the average plant spread is about 80 cm. The prickle color is 187A. The pedicel color is 144A. The sepal color is also 144A.

The reproductive organs of ‘Driscoll Francesca’ are variable. The pigmentation color of both surfaces of the petals is 155D and there are five petals per flower. The style pigmentation color is 157D, the average number of styles per flower is about 99, the anther pigmentation color is 155D, and the average number of anthers per flower is about 108. The color of the seeds of ‘Driscoll Francesca’ is 161A, the average seed weight is about 1.4 mg, and there are an average of about 101 seeds per fruit.

The primocane and floricane yields of ‘Driscoll Francesca’ are high relative to the variety ‘Heritage’.

‘Driscoll Francesca’ is distinguishable from its pollen parent, selection ‘Isabel’, by producing fruit of consistent shape and good firmness. The new cultivar is distinguished from its seed parent, selection ‘Tola’, by having better flavor.

4.1 DISEASE AND STRESS RESISTANCE

Resistance is unknown to powdery mildew. Cold tolerance of the new cultivar has not been established. Post harvest fruit rot resistance is good in comparison over many selections and varieties.

TABLE I PLANT CHARACTERISTICS OF ‘DRISCOLL FRANCESCA’ Driscoll Francesca Heritage General Plant size Medium Large Growth habit Semi-Erect Erect Productivity High Medium Self-fruitfulness Self-fruitful Self-fruitful Time of bud burst Medium Late Primocane fruiting Percent of cane 30-50 20-40 length flowering as primocane Percent of total yield 40 53 Primocanes Number of young Medium shoots Young shoot Weak Medium pigmentation Length (cm) 212 196 Time of shoot Medium Very late emergence Glaucosity (waxy Strong Weak bloom) Strength Medium Medium Cane cross section Rounded to angular Rounded (from mid cane of primocane) Dormant cane color purple mainly with brown to purple brown brown Prickles Pigmentation brown to purple green-brownish to green Density on young medium Dense shoots Attitude of tip Downward Downward Size: Length 1 2.3 (base to tip) at 1 m height at the end of season (mm) Texture smooth Rigid Presence and Distri- Present: irregularly Present irregularly bution on Petioles distributed Pubescence on canes Absent Absent Internodal distance 4.9 5.3 (cm) (at central ⅓ of cane) LEAVES Arrangement Compound Compound Relief between veins Weak Very weak Number of leaflets Sometimes 3, Sometimes 3, somtimes 5 sometimes 5 Overlapping of lateral Free to touching Free to touching leaflets Glossiness Medium Medium Lateral leaflet: Very short Very short length of stalket (lower pair) Terminal leaflet Length (cm) 11.4 14.6 Width (cm) 8 7.8 Shape Ovate Ovate Tip Acuminate Acuminate Base Cordate Acute to rounded Margin Doubly serrate Doubly serrate Lateral leaflets (basal pair) Length (cm) 10.4 14.7 Width (cm) 6.6 8.6 Orientation Opposite Opposite Shape Ovate Ovate Tip Acuminate Acuminate Base Round Oblique Margin Doubly serrate Doubly serrate Rachis length between 3.6 1.5 terminal leaflet and adjacent Lateral leaflets (cm) Color Face 147A 147A Underside 148B 148B Petiole length (cm) 4.5 7.7 Stipule orientation Erect Erect FLOWERS Flowering period Primocane 15 weeks, 19 weeks, Early May mid Late May September Late September Floricane 12 weeks, 10 weeks, Late March to Late March to Late June mid June Flower diameter (cm) 2.0 1.8 Petal Length (cm) 0.8 0.8 Width (cm) 0.4 0.3 Pedicel coloration Present, medium Present, strong intensity intensity FRUIT Harvest season Primocane Mid July-early Early July- early October November Floricane Mid May-late July Late May-late July Fruiting Lateral Length (4^(th) lateral 61.5 49.8 from tip) (cm) Number of fruit per 18 20.3 lateral Color Immature 44A 42C Maturing 46A 46A Mature Fruit Glossiness Weak Medium Shape Ovate Ovate Dimensions Size Medium Small Length (mm) 22 17 Width (mm) 21 18 Length: width 1.05 0.94 Weight (g/Fruit) Primocane 4.2 3.1 Floricane 3.7 2.3 Soluble solids (%) 11.3 10.8 Titratable acidity 1.41 1.58 (% as citric acid) Seed weight (mg) 2.8 1.5 Number druplets/fruit 101 72 Adherence to plug Medium Medium Firmness Medium Firm Yield High Medium

4.2 NUCLEIC ACID FINGERPRINTING

Distinctive patterns of polymorphism can be detected using a variety of nucleic acid analysis methods. In one non-limiting example, molecular genetic maps can be produced using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) (Williams et al., 1990, “DNA polymorphisms amplified by arbitrary primers are useful as genetic markers”, Nucleic Acids Res. 18(22):6531-5). Using a variety of oligonucleotide primers, alone or in combination, RAPD analysis of Driscoll Francesca and Heritage yielded DNA fragment patterns that uniquely distinguish each of these genetically distinct genotypes. 

We claim:
 1. A new and distinctive cultivar of raspberry plant, substantially as shown and described. 